Malaysian apprentice Rueven
Ravindra landed his biggest win yet since moving to Singapore earlier this
year when he guided BORN TO FLY to victory in the Group 2 S$350,000 EW
Barker Trophy at Kranji here today.
Rueven won the apprentice
title in Malaysia with 26 winners last year which also placed sixth in the
overall table.
In Singapore, Rueven has
shown that he can more than hold his own with 19 winners thus far, his
latest success was also his first group win and quite an unexpected one.
Rueven parked BORN TO FLY
third behind the pace set by odds-on favourite MAGNETO before moving up to
challenge the leader in the home stretch. BORN TO FLY went on to beat
MAGNETO by one length.
Rueven had ridden BORN TO
FLY once earlier in the year without success. Nooresh Jugall, who rode BORN
TO FLY in three of his last four runs, elected to ride MAGNETO in the 1400m
sprint today and this gave Rueven the chance to partner BORN TO FLY.
BORN TO FLY ran third in
the Commiitee's Prize and was fourth in the Raffles Cup last year and came
into today's race on the back of his third placing (to EMPEROR MAX) in the
Saas Fee Stakes last start.
MAGNETO was second to WAR
AFFAIR in his last start in the Kranji Mile early last month which was
probably why he started as the overwhelming favourite.
But BORN TO FLY raised his
game today to record his eighth win in 54 starts and returned $176 on the
win tote.
It was the second shock win
of the day from birthday boy, trainer Stephen Gray. Earlier MY BROTHERS
KEEPER (Corey Brown) also beat another odds-on favourite SPANISH BAY to pay
$155.
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